The Eyes of the Beholder
by Phoenix Sparrow
Summary: A psychic girl contacts International Rescue, claiming to see their downfall. How is the Hood involved in all this? Written sometime around 2002 Please read and review and I'll post another chapter! .:.Updated 09.03.07.:.
1. Something's Wrong With The TV

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

_Gifts are not always what they seem. This gift, though hard to believe, may benefit International Rescue_

_It's all in the eyes of the beholder_

* * *

Chapter One – Something's Wrong With The TV

Virgil Tracy sat in his room listening to his music, a very rare occurrence seeing as he tended to be out on rescues more often than not. Lying back, he folded his arms behind his head and crossed his legs, tapping his foot to the beat. He closed his eyes and with a smile on his face, started to settle down to have a nice nap, another irregular occurrence.

He was just dozing off when suddenly; his calm, quiet music was replaced by loud music with a loud, "Alan-style" drumbeat. He groaned.

"Alan, what do you want? Why are you in my room?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"How d'you know it was me?" he asked.

"Not hard to guess. You're the only person on the island who listens to that junk."

"Excuse me!" he replied, smiling.

"So," Virgil said, opening his eyes and sitting up cross-legged on his bed. He looked at his brother. "Why d'you turn my music off?"

"You looked too peaceful. Anyway, you think my music's junk, that slow, boring, classical," he shuddered, "stuff is a lot worse."

Virgil chuckled. "Everyone to their own opinion. The difference between us is that I don't try to push my likes onto other people."

"Yes you flaming well do! You sit at that damned piano of yours and play whether we like it or not," he replied, leaning forwards.

"I've never heard anyone complain, even you! Anyway, I only play things I know everyone," he looked at his youngest brother, "likes. Well, except you!"

"That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, Al."

Alan grumbled a bit more then took his CD and left. Virgil smiled to himself then crossed the room and put his own CD back on before lying back down and shutting his eyes.

* * *

In the lounge, Scott was sitting down in front of the TV. His father, Jeff, his brother, Gordon and their friend, Tin-Tin were also there.

"This is nice," Tin-Tin said.

"Yeah, sure is," Gordon added. "We haven't seen any action for quite a while. Do you think maybe the world is learning to look after itself now?"

Jeff chuckled. "I very much doubt it, son. This is probably just the quiet before the storm."

"Now there's an optimist! Such a nice thought, that the head of International Rescue thinks..."

"Scott," Jeff said, looking over at him.

"Sorry, it just sounds like we're all tempting fate."

Jeff looked at him, thinking. "You may be right. But we can still enjoy the quiet before something happens. And before you say anything else, Scott, something will happen. The world's not perfect yet."

They laughed as Alan walked in. "What's the joke?"

"Don't worry about it," Tin-Tin said, indicating to him to sit in the empty seat next to her. He smiled.

Scott and Gordon exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"So, whatcha watching?" Alan asked, making himself comfortable.

"Uh, I'm not entirely sure," Gordon said, looking at the screen. "We switched it on and started talking. What channel is this?"

Scott leaned over to the desk and picked up the remote. He pressed a couple of buttons then frowned. "Maybe the batteries are dead. It won't change."

Jeff took the remote and took the back off. He pulled the batteries out of their holding and played about with them; pressing the buttons on the side to see how much power was remaining in them.

"No, not the batteries, they still say full power. Come to think of it, we only changed them over a couple of days ago and we haven't used them much."

"Weird, what's wrong with it then?" Tin-Tin asked, looking over curiously.

"I dunno, go and fetch Brains, he'll help. He's bound to know."

"Sure," Scott said, getting up.

As he left, Jeff continued trying to press the buttons to no avail. Suddenly, the screen, which had been previously blank save for the screen static, came to life and there was a face on display. "What the...? What's going on?"

On the screen, the eyes of the face, who none of the International Rescue personnel recognised, were wide with fear as the person started speaking.

"_I am sending this message because I have some terrible news. Please do not think me mad, but I get visions, which have a horrible habit of coming true. I know this sounds weird and unbelievable, but you must trust me. My name is Kari and I have a message to pass on to International Rescue._"

Jeff stared at the screen in shock. He hammered the button on the side of his watch. "Scott, get Brains up here now!" He switched frequencies. "Virgil, get in here pronto! This is important!"

He looked back at the screen as Virgil came running in. "What is it, father?"

His father waved a hand at him, pointed at the screen and hushed him. Virgil looked and sat down, staring intently at the face on the screen.

Kari continued as Scott and Brains ran in. "_I have received a vision in which a terrible disaster would occur within the ranks of the famous rescue organisation that would cripple their forces. I am warning you now as a friend._"

Jeff pressed the button on his watch again as a thought occurred to him. "John, come in, this is Jeff on Tracy Island."

He waited a moment for a reply, one eye on the screen. "Yes father, what's wrong? You sound shaken up."

"That's the least of it. Am I right in assuming you haven't heard this transmission?" He turned the volume up on the television as Kari continued.

"_This is the only way I could get to you. The beginning of this message will be seen by anyone watching their television but if you wish to take notice of my warning, configure your communication devices to the frequency I am sending to your station._"

"What? Uh, what's that about?" He paused as an alarm sounded and he received a frequency code.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then. Just try and locate where that signal's coming from."

"Yeah, sure. By the way, dad, I just received a frequency. I'll send it to you."

John sent the frequency down and Jeff walked to his desk and altered the comm. systems to continue picking up the message. He looked around the team, his family. "What do we do? Take notice of some girl claiming she can see the future?"

"I don't know, father," Scott said. "Maybe we should try and find out what was in the rest of the message."

Jeff nodded and finished retuning the comm. systems.

"I've got it father. It's coming from..."

"Yes?"

"That can't be right!"

"What? What is it? Where's the signal coming from?"

"I don't understand this. It's coming from the middle of Dartmoor."

"What?" Jeff exclaimed. Dartmoor was a vast expanse of grass, forests, rocks, marsh, sheep and horses in Devon. There were very few places where there were any villages or anything.

He and Lucille, his wife, had been there many times for holidays before she passed away. Since then he and the boys had been there on a few holidays too.

He brought down the map and switched it from agent mode to signal mode to pick up the position being transmitted by John from the space station. "This doesn't make any sense; the signal's being transmitted from the middle of the moors, miles from any settlements."

"John, try and contact this girl. If you succeed, notify me, I think we need to have a word with this Kari."

"Yes, father."


	2. Kari Hunter

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Two – Kari Hunter

John had been trying for an hour now, having no luck getting through. Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Tin-Tin, Brains and Gordon were all still sat in the lounge. They'd finally managed to decode the second half of the message and were now watching Kari's warning with more detail and explanation.

"_If you are watching this, I am lucky. Not many people believe me straight off and I thank you, even if you are simply satisfying your curiosity. I am getting ahead of myself again. I am sorry; I do not intend to take up all of your time. My name is Kari Hunter. I live in the middle of Dartmoor, as I do not like living in areas with many people. I get too many visions and as a result, I become ill, which I have found from a past experience. I hope this explains how you are picking up the signal of my transmission from the middle of seemingly nowhere._" She shook her head, and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "_I am sorry; I will get to the point of my story._

"_About a year ago, I met a man I never want to meet again. It was he who granted me with this great and terrible gift. A gift I wish I did not have. It grants me visions of the future, near future or far future, I can never tell, but I know they always happen. This is why I am warning you._

"_I received a vision of you, International Rescue. One of your members, I do not know any names to say which. All I know is that someone in this world has something against you, which will draw him or her to go to any lengths to obtain your secrets._"

"Tell us something we don't know," Scott mumbled under his breath. Jeff glared at him and he was instantly quiet. He could see worry and confusion all over his father's face. Kari continued after a brief pause as though she knew they were talking. This made them all feel nervy.

"_This person will be at a danger zone and will interfere with the equipment of one of your amazing Thunderbird machines. This interference, although will not allow him or her to obtain what they seek, will still affect the ship. I do not know enough to give an accurate picture to you without lying or filling in parts of this story from guessing, but I can tell you the outcome will not be good for your organisation._"

"Father!"

Jeff almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden shout from John over the comm. link. "Yes, have you succeeded?"

"Yes, father. I've spoken with her. Well, sort of. I have contacted her through a computer rather than a radio or comm. system."

Jeff frowned. Living in the middle of Dartmoor was strange enough, but it seemed that she also had access to the Internet from where she was hiding. "How have you been communicating then?"

"I have been talking to her and she has received the messages and typed replies, which have been coming up on my computer visuals here." Jeff's eyes went wide as he took this in. "I can see her through a digital camera, but she has no microphone or anything."

"I see, I think. Can you patch her through to my computer?"

"Easily. Putting her through now."

* * *

Up in the station, John was relocating Kari's message. He pressed a button. "Look, Kari, the head of my organisation wants to speak to you. I'm going to connect you to our computer."

He waited while she typed a response then quickly read it. '_I am glad you have taken notice and are taking me seriously. Thank you for believing me. I would be happy to talk to your leader._'

John smiled. "Alright, patching you through now."

**

* * *

A/N: When I wrote this story, I had only driven through the moors on holiday with my parents. I didn't really pay much attention to signs and place names, I was just looking at the scenery.**

**That is why there isn't much mention of place names in this story. For those of you who know the area, just picture somewhere you think fits. :-)**


	3. Sending Help

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Three – Sending Help

Back on Tracy Island, Jeff had started up the computer and connected it to the link with the satellite. "Right, here we go." He sat down in front of the monitor and flicked the switch on the microphone but left the digital camera switched off. "This is International Rescue. We have received your message."

"_I know,_" she replied. Jeff stared. He'd heard her voice through the speakers.

"Forgive me, but I thought you couldn't communicate through a microphone."

"_I am sorry to do that to your space operative, but I can only talk directly to you. You will forgive me?_"

"I see." Jeff leaned back in his chair and looked at the others who were stood round the monitor. They could see her just as John could, but unlike with John, they could hear her. "Where do you come from? You don't sound like you come from Devon."

"_You are correct, sir, I do not originate from Devon or even this country. I can not tell you, there are people listening to me._"

Jeff looked worried at this. She was such a young girl. "How old are you?"

"_I am sixteen._"

"And you live by yourself in the middle of Dartmoor?" he asked, shocked.

"_Yes,_" she said. She turned away from her camera then looked back, her eyes wide with fear. "_I must discontinue this transmission. My enemy approaches._" Jeff's eyes went wide with hers as he saw a familiar man walk in to her room.

"Before you do, please tell me this. I will send one of our operatives out to meet you somewhere secret. Can you tell me where to send them?"

"_I will send an encrypted message to your space operative._"

"Thank you," Jeff said to no affect as she'd already disconnected.

* * *

In the satellite, John sat in his chair with his feet up looking out the window thoughtfully. Who was that girl and why did she feel the need to send them a warning of something that might happen?

An alarm sounded behind him and he fell off his chair backwards not expecting to hear it so soon after his father's conversation had ended.

He got up, grabbing his hat from where it landed and ran over to the unit, tripping over his feet as he went. He looked the console over and saw it was indeed the expected message from Kari.

"Thunderbird 5 to base, come in…"

* * *

"Understood, John. Thanks." Jeff turned to Brains and handed him the floppy disc he'd downloaded the message onto. "Go and start work on decrypting this message. It's important that we find her. Whether or not we believe her predictions, she is in trouble from what I saw. I recognised the man that walked in while she spoke." He looked at them; they were waiting for him to reveal his observations. "It was the Hood. Maybe it was he who gave the girl her gift, if she does indeed have such a gift."

Scott looked over. "If that was the Hood, then she's either with him and an enemy or not and a friend in extreme danger."

"Yes, I know, Scott. That's why it's so important for us to get out there and find out."

* * *

Three hours later, Brains had finally found the encryption codes she'd used and also translated the message itself from the code she'd put it into. "Ah, ah, Mr Tracy, I, uh, have your me-message," he said, showing him the disc as he crossed the tech room and inserted it into the disc drive of the very same computer they'd used to contact the girl.

_**"To the head of International Rescue. I agree to your terms of meeting somewhere. I believe the best place to be in the moors. They are isolated and very few people cross them by foot. The few cars keep going until they reach the other side. I will take a homing beacon and activate it when I reach the rendezvous point. It is tuned to the frequency in the attachment. I will leave as soon as I know you have received this message.**_

_**I hope you can help me, I live in fear for my life."**_

That last sentence hit home and Jeff knew right away that he had to help her. If she was right with her prediction, she could very well aid his boys without being aware that her vision had happened.

"That's it, we're going! Scott, you know what to do," Jeff said. Scott nodded and turned on his heels to go to the lounge.

Jeff hit the button on the side of his watch and mentally noted Brains' cringe. "John, come in."

"Yes, father?"

"That message you sent down, there's an attachment. The frequency for a homing beacon. Find the frequency and locate it."

"Yes, father."


	4. Thunderbirds Are Go!

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Four – Thunderbirds Are Go!

Scott pulled back on the controls and Thunderbird 1 shot out of its hidden hangar below their pool towards the cloudless sky.

"John, have you found her yet?"

"Affirmative, Scott. She's at these coordinates." Scott looked at his display and a set of coordinates appeared, which he programmed into the autopilot.

"Thanks, John."

"F.A.B., Scott, over and out."

Scott stretched and unclipped his safety harnesses. He climbed out of his chair and left the cockpit.

He wandered down to the cargo hold where his hover bike and mobile control console were. He checked them both over, but more so the bike. He would need that in top condition.

An alarm bleeped signalling he was nearing his target area and would be needed behind the controls.

* * *

Five minutes later, he'd landed the silver craft in the grassy marshes of Dartmoor. He jumped from the ship and landed in a knee-high bog. "Ugh, I don't believe this. Thank goodness for knee-high boots." He waded across the massive muddy puddle and climbed out, retrieved his hover bike and climbed onto it. He sat down and fastened the seat belt then pulled off his waterproof uniform boots and emptied the water that had managed to rise over the top of them.

He sighed as he put them back on then fished the locator out from under his seat. He switched it on and started off in the direction of the signal.

* * *

"These flippin' moors are too big," he said to himself twenty minutes later.

"No, they are not; they are perfectly sized for hiding."

Scott leaped and spun round then relaxed on seeing the face of the sixteen-year-old girl they'd spoken to earlier on.

"Kari Hunter?"

The girl nodded. "You must be an operative of International Rescue. That uniform is very distinctive."

Scott smiled. "Our, um, head may not, I don't know yet, but I believe you. I don't know why. Just something in the back of my mind says you're telling the truth. I rarely believe things like this."

Kari smiled back. "I thank you for your honesty. It makes little difference. Whether or not you believe, I know they happen."

Scott's smile faded. This girl made him feel uneasy.

"What is wrong?" Kari asked, seeing his expression change.

"Huh? Nothing. We should get outta here; we're not exactly well hidden. Come on, get on the back of here," he indicated the passenger seat of his hover bike, "and I'll find somewhere a bit more sheltered."

* * *

They got back to the Thunderbird and sat underneath it but not in the puddle.

"So, can you tell me how you found you had this gift?"

"Yes," she replied, looking away. "I wish I could not. A man, who refused to tell me his name, hypnotised me and I was unconscious for quite some time. When I came to, he informed me he had given me a gift which I had to use to help him."

"Why couldn't he just use it for himself?"

"He never told me fully, he simply said he was annoyed that he was incompatible."

Scott nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't understand how anyone could have the power to give someone else the ability to see the future but… He shook his head, this was making it hurt.

"You do not understand?"

"Is it really that obvious? I must admit, I'm baffled. I don't understand how anyone can give someone a power."

"I did not believe it at first, but he told me to try visualising the future and I did. I saw that I would escape him and that he would be trapped in a collapsing building. At first I thought it was wishful thinking, but the vision came true. I could not leave, though. I had to help him."

Scott understood. Even an enemy doesn't deserve to die. "So, what happened?"

"I helped him and he took me as a prisoner to serve him. I escaped him and hid out in the moors but he has found me again."

"You said previously that you became ill if you stayed near too many people. Which is true?"

"This version. I was afraid he may have been listening so I could not reveal the true reason, he frightens me." She put a hand on his arm, which he looked down then back at her. "You have to help me. I do not want to go back to him."

"Look, it's ok. We'll do all we can to help you." He smiled at her. "Seeing as you may be helping us."

* * *

He climbed into the craft while below Kari sat in its shadows. He activated the comm. system and contacted his father.

"Go ahead, Scott."

"Uh, father, I think we, uh… She needs help. It is the Hood after her, it was he who hypnotised her and gave her the gift."

Jeff's image on the view screen nodded thoughtfully. "Ok," he said after a considerable pause. "Virgil," he called over his shoulder. He turned back to Scott. "Remain where you are. I'm coming out to talk to her."

Scott looked back shocked. "You?"

"Yes, Scott. Me. Just remain at that position."

"F.A.B., father."

He slumped back down in his control chair. 'He must think this really important,' he thought to himself, 'if he's coming out here personally.'

* * *

Later on, Jeff and Virgil had arrived at Scott's coordinates. "Right, now Virgil, it is very important you follow this to the letter."

Virgil glanced briefly over his shoulder as he landed Thunderbird 2. "Yes, father."

"I want you to bring Kari into the pod. I will sit in the closed off laboratory." Virgil glanced round again. "Security." He received a nod in reply. "I need to speak to her in person, but she will recognise my voice and I have told her I am the head of the organisation."

Virgil nodded again and shut down the engines. He stood and smoothed the creases from his uniform. He turned as Jeff stood and did the same. He had a uniform for occasions such as these, though he very rarely used it. It was essentially the same as his sons' except his sash was a dark royal blue darker than Scott's sash and darker than the uniform itself.

Virgil smiled. He always thought the uniform suited his father. He exited the machine as Jeff made his way down to the pod.

* * *

"Over here!" Scott called, seeing his brother looking round with a puzzled expression gracing his face. He waved a hand then sat back down next to Kari. She was shaking and had become very frightened.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Scott asked. He looked at her carefully. Her eyes were half shut and she had become very pale. She'd started swaying slightly and her teeth were knocking together. "Kari? Kari, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

Virgil arrived beside him to take her over to Thunderbird. He took one look at her and knew straight away that something wasn't right.

"Come on, we've got to get her to the pod, quickly." Virgil scooped her up in his arms and took off towards the pod with Scott in tow.


	5. Helping the Helper

_Thanks for those of you who reviewed or read my story!_

_**loonytunecrazy**: All written and ready to go!_

_**Ms Hobgoblin**: Not gonna tell you what's gonna happen, you'll just have to wait and see!_

_**Roch4Tom**: As I told **Ms Hobgoblin**, I'm not giving anything away. Just have to read and find out._

**

* * *

**

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

Chapter Five – Helping the Helper

"Where am I? What…? Oh no." Kari was clearly disorientated. She was still pale and shaking.

"You're alright, Kari. What happened? Do you know?" Scott asked, crouching down. He somehow felt he should protect this young girl. He felt she was like the younger sister he never had. Looking at Virgil, he could see he was thinking the same.

"He is coming," she said. "He will come for me." She was becoming hysterical and started fidgeting about rapidly. Scott and Virgil put their hands on her shoulders to try and steady her, but she was strong for such a small girl. The two of them were actually having trouble.

"Calm down, Kari. Please, it's ok, we're not gonna let him get to you. You're ok." Virgil glanced over his shoulder to where his father was waiting in the lab. Jeff saw the trouble they were having and without hesitation came to help them.

"She's going into shock and convulsing," Virgil reported.

"Yes, I can see that." Jeff looked round. "Go and grab that fire blanket, that'll have to do." Virgil nodded and took off to the other side of the pod, weaving in and out of the Mole and Firefly.

Jeff lay Kari down with his hand under her head until Virgil returned with the blanket. He'd neatly folded it and held it while his father raised the girl's head. He slipped it underneath and stepped back. She was starting to calm down now, but still, they wanted to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself.

* * *

A while later, she came to again. She looked around but she could only see the one with the yellow markings stood by a door looking into the room on the other side and could hear voices coming from that general area. She got up and walked over carefully. Her head was hurting and she was still scared.

She slowed her pace as she neared them. "Hello?" she called.

The man in yellow turned round and the man in blue put his head through the door, his hat shifting and revealing his dark brown hair beneath.

"Are you alright, now, Kari?" the man in yellow asked.

She nodded. "I do not mean to be rude, but…" She paused and looked at them. "…You know my name…"

The man in yellow smiled as the blue man went back behind the door briefly. She heard him say something, though she couldn't hear what. She did know, however, there was someone else there. He put his head back round the door and grinned.

"I guess we can tell you our names, it'd be so much easier for all of us. I'm Scott and this is Virgil," the blue man said, holding out his hand. She took hold of it and shook it then repeated the procedure with Virgil.

"I am pleased to finally meet you. Not many people have the honour of sharing International Rescue's company, let alone sit in their Thunderbird."

The two men laughed. "It's a pleasure to have you here," Scott said. He put his head round the door again. Kari looked at him curiously and after a while, he looked back and glanced at Virgil. He nodded and stepped aside. "Our head wishes to see you."

She looked at him, wide eyed. "Your head?"

Scott nodded and stood aside so she could get in.

On entering, she saw an older man, in a similar uniform, who stood up and held out his own hand. "Hello, Kari. I'm Jeff. Please, sit down." He indicated a chair, which she sat in. "I'm going to ask you a few questions. You don't have to answer them, but they will help us help you." She nodded and he took a breath. "Thank you.

"My first question is; can you describe this man? The one who gave you your gift?"

"I am sorry to say I can not. Every time I saw him he wore a different mask, but I knew it was him from his voice. When you contacted me, he came in without a mask on. That was the first time he has done that and I am sorry to say I ran before I could get a good look at him."

Jeff looked at the other two. "It's him." He turned back to her. "Ok, that's fine. How long have you been living on your own?"

"Since my parents were killed a year ago." She turned away. "That was he, too."

"If you don't mind my asking, why did he kill them? Do you know?"

She nodded. "It was an incentive to work for him. He believed that if he killed them he would have control over me, but…" Jeff saw tears enter her eyes.

"It's ok; you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. This gift of yours, when did he give it to you?"

"Just a week before he killed them. I have had many visions since. Things like I knew the Martian Space Probe would not make it across the Arlington Bridge. I knew, before it happened, that your Thunderbird 1 would be shot down in the desert and I regretted that I was unable to inform you just as I could not inform you of the near collision with the sun Thunderbird 3 would suffer because he still had some control over me."

As she spoke, Jeff nodded taking in this information. "It's alright, I understand. You don't have to continue if you don't want to." 'This is amazing. No one outside our organisation knew that Scott had been shot down save for those two guys who found him.'

She nodded. "Thank you. It is hard for me. I do not want this gift. I see terrible things happen and up until now, I have had no way of warning the people in question."

Jeff turned to Scott and glanced briefly at the other side of the lab before turning back to him. Scott nodded his understanding and walked off. He turned back to Kari. "How do you feel now? You didn't look too good earlier." Just like with Scott and Virgil, he felt he was somehow responsible for this girl. 'You can't be,' he told himself. 'You've barely met her and…' His thoughts were interrupted as Scott walked over with a tray of drinks.

"Are you thirsty?" She nodded eagerly. She may have a special gift, but underneath, she was essentially just a child. Jeff looked at her and smiled. 'No, not a child. More like a young adult.'

"So, you're sixteen?" he asked as she drank.

"Yes, but I will be seventeen in April."

Jeff looked at her. She didn't look that old at all. She was very short for her age. Her dark brown hair reached just to the bottom of her neck at the back and her hazel-green eyes were constantly on the lookout, as if she were afraid he would come right into the pod and take on the three International Rescue members just to get her. He looked at what she was wearing. She had long blue jeans on, which were just longer than her legs were, meaning the bottoms were frayed and torn. Her top was a simple t-shirt. The clothes and her face were dirty with mud smeared on both. Amongst the dirt, however, he noticed she had a gold ring on her right middle finger and a silver bracelet on the same arm. He looked closely; they'd been kept in good condition while her clothes had been left.

"Excuse me for asking, but, your ring… How is it in such good condition?" Jeff asked.

She stopped drinking and put her cup down. "It was a Christmas gift from my parents the year before…" She sighed. "I keep it in good condition to honour their memory." She smiled, noticing he was about to ask another question. "The bracelet was from my brother. I have not seen him for years. It was also a gift."

He nodded. "Sorry."

"Do not be. You were simply asking a question. You were not to know."

He smiled. He liked the way she talked. It was clear and easy to understand. For him, at least.

* * *

Later, while she was asleep, Jeff and Virgil found a small scanning unit and took an image of her brain to try and ascertain why she could do what she could. They found no evidence, but they did find something else.

"Brains, come in. This is Jeff." He waited until their scientist answered the call.

"Uh, uh, hello, ah, Mr Tracy."

Jeff held a finger to his lips and glanced at the sleeping girl. 'Just in case,' he thought. 'Better to be safe than sorry.' "We've taken a scan of Kari's brain and found something very interesting. I'm transmitting our findings now. Can you tell me what the heck that is?"

Brains seemed to stop paying attention as he received the file. He opened it and looked thoughtfully at the image. There was a small object that looked like a chip implanted in her head.

"Well? What is that?"

"I-I-it's a chip, sir."

"I knew that much. Do you have any ideas as to what it's for?"

"It looks like a-a-a locator chip."

"That must be how he always finds her."

"S-sir?"

"Don't worry for now. I'll… wait a minute. Do you know how to deactivate it? Without surgery?"

"I-I-I think so, just a case of using…"

"Good. Send me the information. I think it's time we returned the favour."

* * *

Minutes later, Brains had transmitted the information to disrupt the signal being given out by the chip. Jeff reconfigured the scanner and woke Kari. "Kari? Kari? Wake up, honey," he said, gently nudging her. 'Honey? I just called this girl honey?'

She stirred and looked round, opening her eyes. "Oh, hello, Jeff, sir. What is wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I may have some good news for you though." She sat up and looked at him expectantly. "We know how the Hood-" She looked at him, puzzled. "Oh, the man who did this to you." She nodded, showing her understanding. "We know how he can keep finding you."

Her eyes lit up. "How?"

"He implanted a locator chip when he hypnotised you. Now, I know how to deactivate it, and the procedure doesn't take very long, but it may give you a headache for a while afterwards. I'll only continue if you tell me to. It's your choice."

She looked at him. "I would be grateful if you could help me rid my life of this man."

He smiled. "Alright. Lie down then. And don't forget, a headache is perfectly normal according to our scientist."

She nodded and lay down. Jeff switched on the scanner-come-neutraliser and started.


	6. Contacting Mica

_Another week, another chapter! Thanks again to my reviewers!_

_**Ms Hobgoblin**: Why thank you. I'm glad you enjoy them. But I've said before and I'll say again. I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen!_

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Six – Contacting Mica

"Oh, my head." Kari sat up slowly and looked around. She was on her own again. 'They seem to trust me enough to leave me.' She looked up as Virgil walked over. 'Or maybe not.'

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine." She stopped as pain shot through her head. "Ow, yes, just fine, save for the headache, but that is an acceptable compromise, a headache for my freedom from that man."

Virgil smiled. "Would you like some pain killers or something?"

"That would be welcomed. Thank you."

He smiled again and walked off.

* * *

Jeff and Scott had been talking. "What do we do now? She's seen us, she's knows you're the, uh… Why is it saying head or leader always sounds so…?"

"Fake?" Jeff supplied the word.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm not really anyone's head or leader. I'm your father and just happen to run the organisation and organise the rescues."

"No, not a leader at all!" Scott said, laughing.

Jeff shook his head. "Come on, back to business."

"Yes! Right! Sorry!" Scott paused. "Where was I?"

Jeff threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Scott!"

"Ok, ok! Yes, she's seen us, knows you run the show, has seen the inside of this pod…"

"Alright, alright, no need to repeat yourself." Scott rolled his eyes. "Right. We've deactivated that chip, so the Hood won't be able to find her from now on, though I'm betting he's already on his way using information gathered before we deactivated it."

"You're probably right. So what can we do?"

"First thing's first. We get Kari outta here."

Just then the door to the lab opened and Virgil walked in. "Hi. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not really," Jeff answered. "What's up?"

"Are there any pain killers in the first aid kit?"

"Kari?"

"Yeah."

"I expect so. Hey, it's your Thunderbird, you should now exactly what's in each pod, right down to what's in the first aid kits!"

"Yes, sir. The error will be corrected at the earliest possible opportunity," Virgil said, saluting and marching across the room. "Affirmative. Presence of pain killers confirmed."

"Glad to hear it, soldier! As you were!"

"F.A.B., sir!" Virgil marched from the room, his shoulders shaking from his uncontrollable chuckling.

"So," Jeff said, turning back to Scott. "Where can we take Kari where she'll be safe?"

"As far away from Dartmoor as possible." They both sat thinking. There were enough places on this planet, but it was a case of finding one where she would be safe and looked after.

"I've got it!" Jeff suddenly shouted, making Scott jump. "We have to try and find out from her as much about her brother as possible."

* * *

Kari put her cup down. Her head still hurt, but she knew the pain killers would kick in eventually. She smiled at Virgil who'd crouched down beside her. "Thank you. I am sure my headache will subside soon."

Virgil grinned at her and sat down properly on the floor next to her, his legs stretched out in front of him and propped himself up on his hands, which he'd rested on the floor behind him.

"Kari?" a voice called across the pod. She looked about for the owner and saw Jeff walking towards her.

"Yes Jeff, sir," she called back then wished she hadn't as another stab of pain hit her head. 'I wish these pain killers would take effect soon.'

"I need to ask you some more questions. Is that all right? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"About what?"

He took a deep breath. "Your brother."

"My brother? Uh, ok."

He noticed her indecision. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Yes, I am sure. Please. Continue."

"Ok. Firstly, I need to know his name."

"Oh, good. A nice easy start. His name is Mica."

"Mica Hunter?"

"Yes."

"Just checking. How old is he?"

"He is three years older than me so he is nineteen. Twenty in February."

"Right, and do you know where he is?" This was the important question. If she did, they may be able to help her.

She looked at her bracelet. "Yes, I do. He has been living in America with his companion while he studies at university."

"Where abouts?"

"Um, Colorado, I think."

Jeff smiled. 'Same place as Alan.' "Have you and your brother ever fallen out?"

"No, he moved away before any of this happened. I do miss him."

"Ok, I think we can help you."

"You can? How?"

"We'll send a message to Colorado University. They're bound to have an address or contact number for him." 'They did for Alan, let's hope things haven't changed too much.'

He looked at Kari and the smile on her face was all he needed to know she was hopeful. "Thank you, Jeff, sir."

"Hey, less of this sir business! Just Jeff will suffice."

* * *

They put in the call to Colorado and got details of Mica's whereabouts after persuading them to part with the information. A little bit of IR initiative was called for, though.

They were now settling in front of Thunderbird 2's comm. unit and initiated a transmission with Mica.

"_Hello? Oh my God! You're International Rescue!_"

"Uh, yeah," Scott said. It was he who sat in front of the comm. system.

"_So. What makes you call me?_"

"I have someone here with me. I'm hoping you'll be able to help us."

"_Huh? What are you talking about? Who have you got?_"

"A young lady named Kari."

The man at the other end of the line stopped, shock registering on his features. He ran a hand through his ginger-brown hair, which had been left to grow out of a crop. "_Kari? Is she there now?_"

"Yes she is."

"_Can I speak to her?_"

"Of course you can." Scott turned round and signalled to Kari to come over. She walked over slowly, tears forming in her eyes as she saw her brother. "Kari, Mica would like to speak to you."

"Mica? Is that you?"

"_Who else is it gonna be, sis? What happened to you? I've been sending letters every week, but you stopped replying._"

"A lot has happened since I was last in contact with you. I will tell you about it all in good time. First, though, how is Soran?" She saw her companions look puzzled. "He is my brother's best friend."

They nodded their understanding. Scott leaned over to Virgil. "Strange names they have," he said quietly.

"Shhh!" Virgil said.

"Come on, we should leave them to it for now," Jeff said, putting his hands on his sons' shoulders.


	7. Family Reunited and One Year Later

_Another week, another chapter. Okay, so just less than a week, not the point. Hehe. Thanks as always to anyone who read or reviewed, especially those who reviewed!_

_**Ms Hobgoblin**: Yes, I've updated them all again. They're all complete, lol. I'm not doing anything aside from adding little comments to you lovely reviewers! And the occasional spell check cos my spelling when I was 16, 17 was terrible! As for the rest, you'll have to wait and see._

_**loonytunecrazy**: Hoody is a fab baddie, isn't he? One of those through and through nasty people! Lol._

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Seven – Family Reunited and One Year Later

When they came back ten minutes later, Kari and Mica had properly caught up and she was ready to let them take over.

"Hey Kari."

"Hello, Jeff, sir."

"I told you about that, didn't I? There's no need to call me sir."

"I am sorry; it is a force of habit."

"I see. Can I speak to Mica for a minute, please?"

"Yes, I should think that would be possible."

"Oh, good. Uh, glad to hear it." He smiled as she stood up from the seat in front of the comm. system and sat down on another chair. "Mica, this is Jeff of International Rescue."

"_Yes, I know, well, the International Rescue bit, anyway._"

"Right. Anyway, I have an inquiry to make. I believe Kari has told you about what has happened in the past year or so?"

"_Yes, she did. If I ever meet that son of a-_"

"Yes, well, no need to worry about that now, we have neutralised the signal he was using to track her. We need to ask if you will take care of her now. She has no one and nowhere to go."

"_Are you kidding? Of course I'll look after her! She is my baby sister! What are big brothers for, eh, Kari?_" he called out.

Jeff smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Thank you."

* * *

Later on, they had packed up everything they'd used and were heading out to Colorado. They had arranged to meet Mica in a disused airfield and would contact him when they were nearly there.

As he wasn't needed, Jeff had sent Scott back to base. Whenever he'd looked at his eldest son that day, he could see how tired he was.

Now, Jeff rode alongside Virgil in Thunderbird 2's cockpit while Kari was asleep in a bed in the back cabins.

"Well, at least we know she'll be well looked after. You know, that Mica reminded me of you lot."

Virgil glanced at his father briefly, but kept his eyes on what he was doing. "Father?"

"Well, he was genuinely worried about his young sister's well-being. I remember when a certain group went out after their brother after a race."

Virgil smiled and shook his head. "It's always Alan getting into trouble."

"No, not always, we've had to send help after Scott as well." Jeff laughed.

"Alright, so not always Alan."

"If I remember rightly, we've had to go out after you as well. When… let's see, when was it?" He looked up as if looking at the ceiling would help him recall the memory. "Oh yes, I remember. That time you went out on that painting trip. You were going from place to place painting landscapes and you managed to get yourself caught in an avalanche in Switzerland."

"Dad!" Virgil said, glancing round again.

"Ah, ah, ah! Eyes on the way ahead of you." Jeff started laughing again.

Virgil simply tried to hide his blushed cheeks and continued on his way.

* * *

"This is Thunderbird 2 to Mica Hunter. Come in Mica," Jeff said, after starting up the radio link with Mica's phone.

"_You know, normally on a cell phone, you say 'Hello, is that…?'_"

"Mica, would you be nice to these men. They are the people who have literally saved my life. I would hope you would show some manners."

"_Consider myself told! Sorry, Kari._"

"Either way, we're nearly there. We will be with you in about…" He glanced at Virgil who held up his hand with all his fingers outstretched. "…Five minutes."

"_Right, I'll be ready and thanks again. I doubt anyone coulda given a guy a better gift._"

Behind them, Kari shuddered. Even though she could not be traced anymore, she still had her great and terrible gift. She had come into the cockpit when Jeff had gone down to inform her they would be landing shortly.

They landed, the great green vehicle touching down almost soundlessly on the ground in front of Mica.

Behind him by about ten or twenty metres, was a red sports car, presumably Mica's.

The craft began to rise on its hydraulic legs to reveal the pod entrance. The door lowered and Kari ran out into her brother's outstretched arms. "Mica! I have missed you so much!"

"I've missed you, too, kiddo."

Jeff and Virgil watched from the entryway and smiled then headed down to say goodbye.

Jeff crouched down in front of Kari. "I guess this is where we shake hands and part," he said. Kari turned all the way round to look directly into his eyes then suddenly leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much, Jeff. I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me in such a short space of time."

Jeff smiled and hugged her back. She looked up at Virgil and grinned. "Thank you for the pain killers!" she said. "My headache has completely dispersed now, thank you. And can you tell Scott thank you as well? I wish he were here for me to say so myself."

"He had to go back to base," Jeff said. He stood up and pulled on the hem of his uniform top, which had begun to rise up when he crouched. "Right, this is where we part company, I'm afraid. Our organisation never rests!"

"Before you go, I wanna say my thank you's too. After nearly a year of sending letters with no replies and phone calls with no answers, I was beginning to think I'd never see her again. Thank you for returning her to me."

Jeff and Virgil smiled. "Any time, Mica. Any time."

_

* * *

_

One year later

* * *

Alan was in the space station and he'd only just taken over from John, so he had a long month of nothing but answering emergency calls ahead of him.

He padded round the control room in his slippers. He still hadn't changed out of his uniform, but he didn't want to leave his big boots on. He wandered round, being the good member of International Rescue, checking readouts, and making sure everything was going as it should be.

He'd done this at least ten times in the past twenty minutes and he was getting more and more bored, but no more tired. He just couldn't get to sleep.

He finally decided he should get out of his uniform. He wandered into the sleeping quarters just next door to the control room, pulling his sash and sweater off as he went.

He was halfway through getting changed when he heard an alarm sound in the other room.

"Oh, shoot!" he said to himself as he fell over trying to pull his pyjama trousers on. "What rotten timing. Stupid people! Can't they wait five minutes?"

He got up and ran into the control room. "This is International Rescue. We are receiving your call, over."

"_There's been an accident!_"

'No, really?' Alan thought to himself. 'So, same old, same old then!'

"_I am a paramedic. We were out on a training run in the moors._" That made Alan's ears prick up. Hadn't something happened to them out in the moors last year? "_Two of the trainees had to, for want of a better word, rescue the casualties, assess their condition and sort them out, bringing them back if that was part of their assignment. This group was under the shelter of a rock. The two 'casualties' were broken leg victims, falling off this rock. Obviously, this isn't the real part._"

'Get to the point then," he thought. 'I'll be here all night otherwise!'

"_Anyway, the two trainees and 'casualties' were trapped when this rock they were under suddenly collapsed. We don't know why it did, it's been standing against wind, rain and snow for hundreds of years and now suddenly, it falls._"

"Ok, ok. That's not for us to find out. Deliberate or accident, our job is to get them out. We're on our way, sir."


	8. Return to Dartmoor

_And here it is. Chapter 8.Quite surprised that anyone would think of my ancient kid work as good, but hey, I'm still pleased people are reading! Thanks as always to those who do and reviewers too!_

_**loonytunecrazy**: Why thank you!_

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Eight – Return to Dartmoor

Virgil was sound asleep in his bed. Beside him, the numbers on his digital clock glowed, giving everything in the room green tinge. It was not long after 2:30am.

In Scott's room, all was quiet, save for his occasional snores.

It was the same throughout the villa. Jeff, Gordon, Kyrano, Grandma, Tin-Tin, John and Brains were all asleep.

Asleep that was until Alan's call reached base and woke up all essential personnel. That being everyone minus, Kyrano, Grandma and Tin-Tin.

* * *

"Alright, Alan. I get the picture. Thunderbird 1 is on its way," Jeff said, leaning his elbows on his desk and resting his head in his hands. He yawned then turned to Scott. "Why are you still stood there yawning?" he asked, yawning again himself. "Thunderbird 1 is on its way, are you?" He waved his hands at Scott, shooing him on his way.

"Virgil? Domo, Excavator, John." Virgil needed no further explanation, but simply wandered off, grabbing John's sleeve as he went and tugging on it until he followed.

"Oh and Virgil, you'll need Brains, too. If that rock fell for unnatural reasons, we'll want to know why in case it happens again." Virgil nodded and gestured for Brains to follow John while he went to his own entrance.

* * *

Out in the moors, the team of paramedics were dealing with the injured they could get to. The two trainees were trapped further out of their reach, but the two casualties had seen the danger and attempted to get out of the way, receiving only minor injuries from falling rocks.

"I thought we had gear for moving rocks and stuff," one trainee said, waving a thumb in the direction of the rubble pile.

"We do. We were only training you newcomers on first response, like sort things out, call for back up. No need for that sort of equipment if all you're doing is keeping injured alive. And besides, this rock pile was tampered with. It would never have fallen on its own unless it had human help. This kinda work…" He shook his head, as he looked at it then glanced up as the Thunderbird landed. "This kinda work we leave to the professionals anyway."

* * *

"Someone call for International Rescue?" Scott shouted jumping out of his cockpit. The group of men and women let out a cheer. "Right, the equipment's on its way. Can I just ask why you're training these people so early in the morning?"

They all glanced at their watches. "Trust me feller. For us, this is late! We've been out here for a while. We tend to train them early on in the day. Why? What time is it where you came from?"

Scott smiled. 'Nice try,' he thought. "Early!"

* * *

Virgil landed Thunderbird 2 with expert precision on the flat, marshy land. He instructed Brains to go and meet Scott, then he and John went down to the pod to unload the two massive excavation vehicles they'd brought with them.

Virgil wandered through the pod until he reached the first vehicle then turned to John. "Which one d'you wanna take?"

"Ah, I dunno! It's too early! Ask me a question I can answer!" John replied, stretching and yawning.

"Oh, you're a load of use!" He looked around the pod then closed his eyes, spun round and pointed. He opened his eyes and was pointing at the Excadigger. "I'll take that one," he said, running over and climbing into its cabin.

"Ah, you're far too energetic!"

* * *

The two massive vehicles rolled out of the pod into the early morning sunshine. The grass sparkled with a layer of dew and the air was still cool. Even for summer.

Scott saw his two brothers coming and waved them over then activated his radio.

"Scott to Virgil and John."

"_John here. Go ahead, Scott._"

"_Loud and clear, Scott._"

"Right, there are two people trapped in the middle of this pile of rubble. Brains is checking it out now, but we gotta get 'em out from underneath. These guys think they are likely to be injured pretty badly due to the severity of the fall."

"_Right, so what's the action?_" John asked.

"We get the Excadigger to break down the rocks and the Domo shifts them off of them. Down here, I'll get the easy-to-manage-without-the-strength-of-Hercules rocks out the way and keep my ears open for any sounds."

"F.A.B., Scott," they both answered, almost simultaneously.

They started up the engines on the two vehicles and John and Virgil set to work while below Scott and the other paramedics started clearing and directing the massive machines. While Virgil broke down larger chunks that had simply fallen John attached the Domo's powerful suction pads to the pieces and shifted them.

* * *

"STOP!" Scott yelled with his watch-comm. also activated. The movement stopped and Scott listened carefully.

"Help us! We're down here!"

Scott ran over to where he heard the voices coming from and saw a newly formed hole with two young and frightened people in trainee paramedic uniforms looking back up at him. "Are you two ok down there?"

"Yeah we're fine, couldn't be better!"

Scott raised an eyebrow. "I don't have to get you out of there…"

"Only kidding! Jeez! Come on, help us please! Toni's arm's trapped and my leg feels broken."

"Ok, we'll be right down."

* * *

Meanwhile, as the boys worked to free the two trapped under the rocks, there was someone else hard at work and not far away either.

"Let's see, if I reconnect this wire… here, and reroute power through… this…" In the pod of Thunderbird 2, a strange man, who most certainly did not belong to the organisation, was crawling around the power units connecting and reconnecting wires. He was very nervous as he worked. "If I don't get this right, it's my head for sure!" he said to himself, though his voice remained relatively low. "If I don't get that piece for him…" He shuddered, trying not to think of the consequences of his failure.

"Yes! Got it!" he said, pulling out a small component from the unit he was rooting through. The small piece made little difference whether it was there or not because there were so many back-ups, it wouldn't be missed. The computer would just switch to the next one in the sequence. The small instrument, though, wasn't something that could be handed out to anyone. The small part was part of the photo-alert systems. It kept it running smoothly.

"Now all I gotta do is get this piece back to _him_ and I'm home free. I think I'll leave him to it while he…"

"_Do you have the piece, Carson?_"

Carson jumped out of his skin as he heard the voice of his temporary boss on his comm. link. "Y-y-yes, Mr Stutt, sir," he stammered in reply.

"_Good! You have done well… so far. You must bring the component to me so that I may analyse it and find a weakness in their photo-alert systems._"

'Whoopdidoo! What do I care what you're gonna do with it!' "I'll have it to you as soon as I can get off this moor." He slipped quietly through the pod and waited at its entrance for the first opportunity to get away.

All the International Rescue team was busy and not facing the craft, so he ran.


	9. Virgil's Worst Nightmare

_Hi all! Thanks for all those who read and reviewed chapter 8. Have another one to get your teeth into!_

_**loonytunecrazy**: I know, far too short a chapter, that one. Hopefully this one'll be a bit longer for you._

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Nine – Virgil's Worst Nightmare

"Thank you so much!" Toni said after they'd pulled her out of the rock pile. "Ah, jeez! My arm hurts."

"It will do for a while, it was pinned under quite a large rock. It's bound to hurt," Virgil said, leaning up against the side of the Excadigger.

John walked over from the Domo, stretching and yawning as he went. "What's the matter, John? We keeping you up?" Scott called out.

He grumbled. "No, I'm fine, just hurry up so we can get back to base."

Scott shook his head and patted John on the shoulder. "Look, Brains is coming back in Thunderbird 1 with me because he wants to check out the mobile control console. Wanna come with us? It'll be faster."

John glanced at Virgil who was beginning to climb back into the Excadigger to return it to the pod. "Can I? Thanks. I'll let Virgil know."

* * *

"Hmm? Oh sure, go ahead, I'm ok, just put the Domo back first!" Virgil said, looking down at his brother who was leaning in the door of the cabin. 

"F.A.B., Virgil," John said, jumping back down to the ground. 'Good, I do this one little thing, then I can go back home to bed!'

* * *

Virgil looked out the window and watched his older brother run over to the other vehicle. He shook his head. 'He's definitely not a morning person!' he thought to himself. 

He chuckled and started up the engine, driving the great machine back to its housing in the pod to be returned to their island base.

* * *

Back out in the moors, Carson was running at breakneck speed. He had left a car in the nearby car park, but on leaving the pod, he had run in the wrong direction to avoid detection. Not that he'd yet realised. 

He continued for another few minutes then stopped realising that he wasn't where he should be.

"Oh no!" He looked about desperately trying to see anything remotely like the car or even the familiar landmarks on the way to the car park, but couldn't.

"Oh jeez! I don't believe this!" He turned round and looked, spun to his left and looked there, twisted to face behind him. Nothing. He pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack with such force; the small component fell to the ground and landed in the marshy land underfoot.

Raising the binoculars to his eyes, he began scanning the horizon for some sort of clue, shifting his feet as he went, unintentionally smothering the piece under the disturbed mud.

He sank to his knees and pulled his pack round to be in front of him. Putting the binoculars back, he looked inside for the small radio.

The bag was actually quite large for so few items. Simply the radio, binoculars and the piece, or so he thought.

He brought out the radio and activated the link with Mr Stutt. He didn't know he was dealing with the man who'd tried many times to get International Rescue's secrets, the man who had a psychic link with his half-brother on their island base, the man who was more well known as the Hood.

"Mr St-St-Stutt? This is Carson." He waited a few moments for the man to answer his call. As he did, he rummaged round his bag, noticing something was missing. "Uh oh!" he whispered to himself.

"_What do you mean 'Uh oh'? You have called me for a good reason, I should hope._"

"Well, uh, I had the component and got out of the area with it, but…"

"_But what, Mr Carson? I am not a patient man. Do you have the piece or not?_"

"I, uh, did, but it's gone! I was contacting you to inform you I had it and that I needed help in locating my car."

"_You've WHAT??_" he roared. Carson shrunk away from the radio, holding it at arm's length. "_You do not deserve the help I gave you! You have two choices; you can accept my directions to your vehicle and come back and face me, or stay in the moors!_"

Carson's eyes were wide, he'd lost all the colour in his face and his hands were shaking badly. Then he did something he didn't think he'd be able to do; he switched off the radio, dropped it and ran off again. 'There's gotta be a visitor centre or something round here somewhere that can help me…'

He ran. 'Where could that piece have gone? Oh man, I'm a gonner out here! If I could find that piece I'd return it to get outta this place!'

Little did he know that his tampering had caused more of an effect than he thought.

* * *

"Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2, come in Virgil," Scott said, watching John trying to get strapped into the chair in the compartment behind him. He chuckled. 

"_Thunderbird 2, what's so funny?_" Virgil asked over the comm.

"John trying to do his safety straps up!" He ducked out of the way so the video link camera was focusing on John and so Virgil could also see the struggle.

"_Oh dear! John, do you need any help?_" Virgil said, chuckling.

"Ha, ha!" John replied, sarcastically, closing down the screen on the glass between him and Scott.

"D'you think we upset him?"

"_Nah! So, why did you call me?_"

"Oh yeah, we're just about to take off. When'll you be leaving?"

"_Um, soon as I've shut the pod doors and stuff like that. Matter of minutes._"

"Alright, see you back at base."

"_F.A.B.,_" he replied, closing down the link. He looked round the cockpit as he pulled the pod door lever, closing it with a bang. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his tired muscles, before starting up the motors and taking off.

* * *

Down in the power unit, the rewiring job was starting to take effect. The circuits were warming and the wires were already hot due to being put back in the wrong places. Component boards were fusing and transistors were blowing.

* * *

Virgil looked over his control panels. He couldn't understand why he hadn't gained much speed. He glanced over the panels and readouts but they showed nothing wrong. He knew, though, there was. He leaned over in his seat and pressed the button on the comm. system. Nothing happened. His eyes went wide in realisation. Suddenly, he got an idea. 

"Scott, come in, this is Virgil. Come in!"

"_Whoa, whoa, Virge. What's up? Why are you using your watch?_"

"Because the comm. system isn't working. There's something wrong. I'm gaining height but little speed."

At the other end of the line, Scott's face was covered with a shocked expression. "_Right, I'll notify father and I'm coming back!_"

"Hurry, please!" He stopped as suddenly he heard an explosion come from further back in the ship, the power units. "Scott!"

* * *

Scott had spun Thunderbird 1 round sharply and received a moan from Brains. "_Scott, what are you d-d-doing?_" 

"Sorry, Brains, but Virgil's in trouble! We gotta get to him fast! Sit down and buckle up!"

He pushed the levers forward and took off full-throttle to where he'd last seen Virgil.

* * *

Virgil looked out his view screen and saw the Dartmoor marshes rushing up to greet him. He pulled desperately on the wheel in front of him to try and level his descent with no effect. 

The ground came closer and closer and Virgil covered his face with his arms as the mighty machine crashed into the swampy ground.

* * *

Scott cruised over the green moors. He couldn't see any sign of him. He looked closer. 

"John, does that look like what I think it does?" he asked, pointing to a black billow on the horizon.

"Smoke."

"I don't like the looks of this!" He pushed the craft to reach the smoke in the distance.

"Oh my God! That is Thunderbird 2! It's on fire! Virgil!!" John shouted.


	10. Prediction Come True

_Hey all, welcome to chapter 10! I know what you're thinking, how long can she drag this out for! Lol, I know, I know. Not much longer now. Honest._

_**mshobgoblin**: You liked the seatbelt bit, huh? As for what the others can do, you'll have to wait and see. Do I say that a lot? ;-) Lol_

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Ten – Prediction Come True

Inside the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, Virgil was trying desperately to put out the rapidly spreading fires. He had a cut across his face and his arm was badly injured when he crash-landed. His uniform was no longer blue and yellow but black and charred from the fires.

He collapsed onto his knees and pushed himself into the corner, fighting of the fires.

"Oh no! Please, no! Not now!" Virgil cried out as the fire extinguisher ran out. He threw it across the cabin and it hit the window, not breaking it.

"Damn that reinforced glass!" He ran across the cabin and tried the door again. It was still jammed shut and the fires were getting worse.

Suddenly, the console behind him exploded, sending him sprawling to the floor, and rendering him unconscious.

* * *

"Scott, quick!" John shouted, jumping out of the cockpit and running towards the flaming Thunderbird in front of him.

"John, wait! We can't just run in there!"

"Why not??" he shouted, impatient to help his brother.

"We won't do him any good if we get hurt!" Scott reasoned. He turned to Brains. "Brains, d'you have any idea as to how we get'im out?"

"We could use the-the dicetalline and the oxyhydnite."

"Right, yeah. I'll go get it." He turned to look at John then back at Brains. "Try to keep him calm. He's beginning to…"

"A-alright, Scott. You j-just get the o-o-oxyhydnite, I'll keep my eye on Joh-John."

* * *

They reached the burning machine and tried to get in. "Looks like we're gonna need this stuff!" Scott said, starting up his oxyhydnite tank. "Sorry, Brains!" He put the flame next to the hull and started to cut.

"S-sorry? We're t-trying to save V-V-Virgil!"

"I was… never mind."

They continued to cut through and when they eventually made it, they started on the fire using the dicetalline.

* * *

It took them a while, but they reached the cockpit, putting out the fires as they went. The door to the cockpit was still jammed shut.

"I don't like this. The door's very hot," Scott said, quickly drawing his hand away from it.

"That means there's fire on the other side," John said. "How do we get in? If we open the door, there'll be a back draft, but if we leave it, Virgil will…"

"It's ok, John. We're not leaving him. Look, you two get out of it, I'll call you back in a minute," Scott said.

"What? What are you gonna do?" John asked, looking at him.

"Just go! The longer we leave it, the less likely we are to get Virgil out alive!"

John stared at him then turned and ran off, grabbing Brains' arm as he went.

Scott waited until they'd gone then turned back round and started to cut through the door.

* * *

He cut for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, though, he'd cut an opening large enough for him to get through.

He took a deep breath. 'Here goes,' he thought.

Taking a step back, he put out both his hands and gripped onto the railings running down either side of the narrow passageway. He then lifted himself off the floor and, with all his weight and strength, force and might; he planted his feet in the centre of his cutaway door and it fell to the ground.

Then time seemed to slow down.

As Scott looked up, he saw fire rush towards him as the oxygen outside the door entered the previously-sealed cabin and fuelled the fire. He swung his legs back up and threw himself to the ground to get out if the way of the back draft.

"Argh!" Not quick enough. He received a burn across his arm, which spread from his knuckles to his shoulder, burning his uniform. He rolled on the floor to put the fire out then got up. The dangerous cloud of fire was gone, but smoke poured from the cockpit.

He grabbed the tank of dicetalline and ran in, putting out fires as he went.

He fought his way across the burning cockpit. The smoke was irritating his eyes making them sore and he was coughing until his throat was so painful it hurt to breath.

He stumbled across the room until he hit something. He looked down and saw Virgil lying unconscious on the floor.

He drew in a breath sharply and felt tears stinging his eyes, as well as the smoke. Virgil lay sprawled out on the floor. There were holes all over his uniform revealing burnt skin on his arms, legs and chest. His face was burnt too as well as there being a deep gash across his forehead. His right leg was pinned down by a large piece of damaged console.

Scott literally shook as he looked at his brother, wasting only a second to take the sight in, then worked on moving the obstruction on his leg. A flame flared beside him and he turned away, covering his face with his arm. He turned back then when he'd finally shifted the piece of equipment, he hooked his arms under Virgil's shoulders and did his best to drag him out. He shut his eyes to the pain he felt in his arm from the burn and hoped Virgil would be all right.

Suddenly, a console exploded beside him, knocking him over. He hit his head on the way down and was momentarily dazed. He realised then he just didn't have the strength left to get Virgil out and consciousness was fast becoming a luxury he would not have.

"JOHN! BRAINS!" he shouted, hoping they'd hear.

He struggled to his feet and stumbled back to Virgil and tried again to drag his brother out.

Just then, John and Brains ran in. John immediately ran to his brothers while Brains worked at putting out the remaining fires.

Each pulling Virgil by an arm, Scott and John made it out of the craft. Scott was glad to feel the cool, fresh air on his skin.

They lay Virgil down carefully on the soft grass then John looked over at Scott. "Hey, you don't look too good. Are you alright?"

Scott looked at him briefly before closing his eyes and passing out.


	11. Medical Attention

_Hi all! Not far off the finish now. Just a couple more chapters. As ever, thanks to readers and reviewers._

_**Ms Hobgoblin**: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I must admit, this story is one of the ones I enjoyed writing most._

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Medical Attention

Brains came out of the blackened Thunderbird, wiping sweat off his brow. He'd managed to put out all the fires out by fixing and initialising the damaged dicetalline sprinklers on board.

He looked over and saw John hunched over his two brothers. Virgil, he saw, looked to have worse injuries than Scott. 'He must have inhaled a lot of smoke,' he thought to himself.

He walked closer and saw both had deep cuts on their heads. 'That's more likely to be the cause for their unconsciousness.'

He looked over at John and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked round and Brains saw his eyes were red. He smiled sympathetically. "They'll be a-a-alright, John. Scott a-a-and Virgil are strong, they-they're fighters."

"I know," he said quietly.

"You stay with them, I-I-I'll go and call your father."

John nodded absently. He'd heard Brains speak but hadn't registered what he'd said.

He walked over to Thunderbird 1, pausing briefly at the entrance to look back at John. He lowered his head before climbing into the craft and activating the radio.

* * *

"Brains? Are they all right? What happened?" Jeff asked. Ever since Scott had radioed in to report Thunderbird 2's failure, he'd been nervous and worried. He'd paced back and forth, tried to sit down somewhere only to jump back up at the slightest noise, thinking it may be them trying to contact him. When he saw it wasn't, he resumed his pacing and the cycle continued. 

"_Uh, uh, I'm not sure, Mr Tracy. T-to both questions. Both Scott and Virgil are unconscious a-a-and I don't yet know why Thunderbird t-two malfunctioned._"

Jeff ran a hand across his hair then lowered it to rub the side of his neck. He drew in a deep breath. "Ok," he said, as he exhaled. "Can either you or John bring Thunderbird 1 back so we can get Gordon and Tin-Tin out there, too?"

"_I-I-I would recommend sending Joh-John so I-I-I can take a look a-a-at Thunderbird 2 to see if I can find out why sh-she malfunctioned._"

"Agreed," Jeff said. "Tell John to use all possible speed. I'll contact the local authorities and get Virgil and Scott some help."

* * *

Within the hour, John had left and was on his way back. Brains had stayed with Scott and Virgil until the ambulance arrived. Jeff had requested, when he made the call, that they try to keep it as quiet as possible. Not only for security, but also for the sake of his sons. The people organising the ambulance arranged for the paramedics that they'd helped earlier to go. They were still in the area and had already dealt with International Rescue that day.

* * *

Brains was crouched in the soft grass in between Scott and Virgil. They were both still out cold. He stayed with them until the ambulance arrived. 

As he heard its engine, he looked up hopefully. They pulled beside them and jumped out as John returned with Gordon and Tin-Tin in Thunderbird 1.

The paramedics ran over, stopping beside the two fallen men.

"My God! What happened?" one asked, looking round, shocked.

"We-we don't know yet, but there was a fire a-and some explosions. V-Virgil was trapped i-i-in the cockpit and Scott went in a-a-after him."

Just then John ran over.

"Do you know any more?" the paramedic asked him.

He nodded. "Brains, you should go and start work on Thunderbird." He nodded and ran off with Tin-Tin tailing him. John turned back to the paramedic. "Virgil crashed and hit his head. His leg was pinned under…"

* * *

While John explained, Gordon stood there looking bewildered. John was talking away to one paramedic, while the others were tending to Virgil and Scott's injuries. Brains and Tin-Tin had gone inside Thunderbird 2 to try and determine what the problem was. And Gordon. He had nothing really to do. He'd only be in the way with Brains and John didn't need any help explaining. Not that he could really help with that anyway. 

"Gordon!" John shouted. Looking up, he realised John was no longer talking, Virgil was being moved to the ambulance and Scott was coming round.

"Yes John?" he asked.

"Scott's come round, but they still want him to go into hospital to be seen to. Virgil is, unfortunately, not so lucky. I'm gonna stay here and help Brains and Tin-Tin. You go in the ambulance with them, will you?"

Gordon had walked over by now. "Yeah, sure."

Scott was sat on a chair they'd pulled from the mobile control console. His head was bandaged and his arm was being checked over. He looked over and, on seeing his brother, smiled. He saw Gordon physically relax. "Hi Gordon!" he said. "Ah!" he added as the paramedic touched a tender spot on his arm.

Gordon walked over. He could see Scott shivering, despite the warm summer sun. 'Must be in shock,' he thought. Looking round, he saw a blanket lying on the floor round the bottom of the chair. He sighed. 'Always trying to act tough. I'll bet he threw that away.' "Here," he said, picking up the blanket and carefully wrapping it round his brother's shoulders. "And leave it there. I know what you're like!" he scolded.

Scott grinned and got up as the paramedic finished. He still felt a bit off balance and light-headed and as he got up he fell against Gordon.

"Whoa, careful. Come on, that way," Gordon said, pointing in the direction of the ambulance.

* * *

They reached the vehicle and Gordon helped Scott in. He then climbed in himself, only to have his breath catch in his throat at the sight of Virgil. His uniform top had been mostly cut away, save for a few parts, which had stuck to the wounds. This showed the extent of cuts and burns on his chest, arms and neck. A breath mask mostly covered his face so Gordon couldn't see the extent of the injuries to his face. 

He reached out a hand to find something to steady himself and found another hand had gripped his. Looking over, he saw Scott. His arm now had a clean dressing on it and his watch had been removed in case of swelling.

Gordon smiled seeing how calm Scott was and sat down next to him. His smile faded again when he looked back over at Virgil.

The paramedics closed the doors and the engine started again.

Scott looked at Gordon and saw him watching the rise and fall of Virgil's chest. He's always felt responsible for his brothers being the oldest. Even now when he himself was injured and in need of treatment he felt he should comfort Gordon. He was the second youngest so Scott could only imagine what he was thinking.

He raised his good arm and wrapped it round Gordon's shoulder, hugging him close. Normally, he would have had Gordon pulling away from him, but he didn't move. "Come on, Gords. You know what Virgil's like. He'll be fine."

Gordon looked over and what Scott saw made him feel uneasy. He didn't see Gordon as he knew him looking back at him, he saw Gordon as a scared child worried for his next elder brother. He had lost all sense of everything. All he felt was worry.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope you enjoyed this story. I'd just like to take this moment to wish my brother a happy 21st birthday, even though he's so unlikely to read these stories at all. I'd still like it known. Happy Birthday Mike!_


	12. Hospitalisation

_This is the penultimate chapter of this story. Next one is last. Hope you enjoy!_

**

* * *

**

**The Eyes of the Beholder**

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Twelve – Hospitalisation

They arrived at the hospital and Virgil was taken straight through to be examined in the 'crash' room. Scott was taken to a cubicle to be examined by a doctor and Gordon was left on his own in the relatives' room.

He wasn't alone for long, though. After a matter of minutes of sitting alone, wandering about aimlessly and reading the magazines without taking anything in, the door opened and a man walked in. Not a doctor, but…

"Father!" Gordon exclaimed after Jeff had shut the door.

"How are they?"

"I don't know about Virgil yet, but Scott's alright, uh, I think. They said his lungs were a bit damaged by the smoke and he had a deep cut on his head and a nasty burn on his arm."

"Oh, but apart from that he's ok?"

Gordon smiled. "Yeah." He stood next to the window in silence for a moment before continuing. "You know all they way here, Scott was helping me; comforting me. I kinda lost it when I saw Virgil like that."

"So? He's your big brother. He's always been the sort that watches out for you lot."

"I know. I just feel it should have been me helping _him_! He's the one with the bandages, not me! I feel like I…"

Jeff got up and stood beside him. "It's not your fault, Gordon. Seeing Virgil like that is the sort of thing that shocks you. Your reaction was natural." Gordon looked his father in the eye. "It's ok. Everything'll be ok. Virgil will recover."

There was a knock on the door and a doctor walked in. Jeff and Gordon turned to face him.

"Scott is doing well. He has asked if you would go and see him, uh…" The doctor seemed unsure. Scott didn't know that Jeff had arrived so probably only requested Gordon.

Jeff smiled. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing both of us."

The doctor smiled back and held open the door. "He's in cubicle 4. Over there." He pointed to a closed off room at the end of the corridor.

They reached the door and knocked. "Come in," they heard Scott's voice call out.

They opened the door and walked in. Jeff saw Gordon smile as he sat down on the end of Scott's bed. "How you feelin', Scott?"

"I'd feel much better if I didn't have to wear this!" He indicated the typical hospital gown he had on. They laughed. "Hi, dad. How'd you get out here?"

"I have my ways."

"You mean you used my plane."

Jeff sighed. "Yes, I used _Ladybird_. You know mines-"

"Busted up?" Scott finished for him.

"Yes. I suppose you could say that."

"That's the only way to describe it after what Alan did to it!"

"Alright! Alright! You're definitely on the mend," he said, ruffling Scott's hair.

"Hey! Ow! Careful, dad!"

Jeff withdrew his hand quickly. "Sorry." He sat down on the chair next to the bed, only to jump back up when something dug into his back. "Ooh! Ow! What's that?" He turned round and saw an International Rescue issue pistol. His eyes went wide as he realised that it was still in its holster on Scott's sash. He picked up the uniform and held it up by what remained of its shoulders.

He looked over at Scott. "That must have been some fire."

The main body of it was charred and black with holes in it. One sleeve was missing and the other was black and burnt. The sash was smothered with burn marks and blood.

Gordon looked at the once proud uniform then at Scott who had suddenly sat back. "I didn't realise it was that badly damaged."

"Whoa," Gordon whispered. "I think you need a new uniform, Scott," he said out loud.

Scott and Jeff looked at him then suddenly burst out laughing.

They were still laughing when there was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in. They calmed down and looked at him.

"Virgil has been stabilised and is being moved to a private room. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes." That was Scott's answer; given the moment the doctor had finished speaking.

They looked at him. "Uh, sir, I think you should stay in bed."

"Look, I'm going to see him. I want to make sure he's ok for myself."

Jeff looked at the doctor. "Would you mind coming back in a minute? I'll have a word with him."

The doctor looked confused but left.

The door closed nearly soundlessly behind him then Scott spoke up again. "Dad, I'm going to see him."

"Scott, the doctor thinks you should rest. Stay in bed. I'll tell you how he is," Jeff said.

"Stay in bed? Rest? How can I stay in bed and rest while my brother is critically ill?" he yelled.

"He's not critical anymore-"

"You know what I mean!" He sighed and lowered his voice. "Dad, I have to see him. What would you do?"

Jeff smiled. "Probably just what you're doing," he replied, gently.

"Well then. Please, Dad? I have to see him for myself."

Jeff sighed. "Ok. I'll tell the doctor to get you a wheelchair."

"What?"

"A wheelchair. The doctor said you rest. I'm letting you go, but you're not exerting yourself. Just nod and say 'Yes Dad' or you stay."

"Yes, Dad," he said, nodding.

* * *

The doctor, who they learned was named Doctor Lewis, led them down the corridor to where Virgil had been moved. They wandered along, while Jeff pushed Scott along in his wheelchair.

They reached the room and Doctor Lewis held the door open for them. "I'll come back in about ten minutes."

The three Tracy's moved over to Virgil's bed where he lay. He was still unconscious and his strong arms rested on top of the covers, though one was in a sling. His torso was wrapped in clean, white, loose bandages and his right leg was plastered and up in a harness. His head was mostly covered with a bandage, which also covered over his left eye.

Gordon walked closer, taking Scott with him when he realised his father had frozen. He was snapped out of his trance when his watch bleeped. He looked at it confused; it wasn't an hour. 'Oh yes. Comm.'

He pressed the button and saw Tin-Tin's face fill the small screen. "Go ahead, Tin-Tin."

"_We found the problem, Mr Tracy. Someone has been tampering._"

"Tampering? You mean there was a saboteur?"

"_We don't think it was intentional, well, not the cause for the fire anyway. There's a chip missing from the automatic camera detection systems. This person redirected power by moving wires and reconnecting them in the wrong places to get to the component. We're lucky he didn't cut the wires._"

Jeff nodded as he took this all in. "Right. So what now?" he asked, looking over at Gordon and Scott. Gordon had fallen asleep in the bedside chair and Scott was sat very still next to the bed. He'd taken hold of Virgil's hand (the one that wasn't up in a sling) and was talking quietly to him.

"_Well, I don't know how he did it, but he's managed to fix her enough to get her back to base. He's had John running too and fro between here and Moratoa Island._"

Jeff's eyes were wide. Moratoa Island was where they kept stores of fuel and a few spare parts, not the big ones, but small (but still important) ones. "Tell Brains he's a star. I owe him another one!"

"_F.A.B., sir,_" Tin-Tin said, smiling. "_There's one little problem. He only repaired the drive systems. She'll have to be escorted home, because none of her computer systems are working._"

He nodded again. "Alright, Tin-Tin."

"_What??_"

He looked at the display confused. "What is it?"

"_I could kiss the Devon police! They've found a man running round the moors. He was totally lost and confessed to the tampering on Thunderbird in exchange for being taken from the moors!_"

"Did he have the component?"

"_No. He said he dropped it in the mud somewhere._" She paused and looked carefully at the image of Jeff. "_How are they?_"

"They're good. Scott's conscious now, but Virgil's still out cold, I'm afraid."

"_Well, you make sure you tell them both I send my love and wish them a get well soon._"

"Ok, Tin-Tin. I don't know about Virgil, but Scott will find out in a minute."

She smiled. "_Alright, I can give you more details later. There's nothing else really to say except that John is going to take Thunderbird 1 and escort Brains and I in Thunderbird 2._"

Jeff smiled at her. "Thanks, Tin-Tin. See you at base, though, I'm not sure when."

"_Take your time. They're your boys, they take priority._" She smiled back at him again and cut the link.

Jeff walked closer to Virgil's bed and Scott looked up hopefully. "They've mended her enough to get her home," he said.

Scott smiled; an expression that quickly changed to surprise as he felt his brother grip his hand tightly.

"Dad!" he whispered urgently. "Did you see that?"

Jeff looked down at Virgil. He watched him grip Scott's hand again and he drew in a breath sharply. "Virgil?"

He turned his head to one side then slowly opened his eyes. He looked directly at Jeff. "Dad?" he said faintly.

"Virgil!" He looked round and nudged Gordon, waking him.

"Ugh, what? I'm up!" He looked round. "Virgil!"

"Gordon, go and find Doctor Lewis quickly." He nodded and ran off while Jeff sat down. "How are you feeling now, son?"

"Like I've been hit head on by Thunderbird 3," he said quietly.

"Well, your sense of humour's intact," Scott said.

He grinned slowly. "Who's mended?" he asked suddenly.

"Jeez, Virge! You don't think of anything else, do you?" He looked over at Jeff, who raised an eyebrow. "Thunderbird 2. She's on her way home."

"How bad is she?"

"Oh, no! I'm not telling you! You need to think of Virgil first for once!"

Virgil frowned then quickly stopped as he felt pain under his bandage. He let go off Scott's hand and raised his own to touch the dressing. He flinched as he touched his injury. He then looked over the rest of him; his raised leg being the first thing he saw.

The door opened and Gordon came back with Doctor Lewis. "Well," he said. "You're looking a lot better, Virgil. Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?"

"I did a bit, but that was when I frowned at them."

Scott and Jeff laughed discreetly as Lewis continued. "That's good. The, uh, not much pain thing, anyway." He turned to Jeff and Gordon. "We're going to keep Scott in overnight, but Virgil will have to stay here longer, I'm afraid."

"What??" the two brothers said in unison.

"We have to make sure."

"Calm down, Scott. You'll be back at base tomorrow," Gordon said.

"Yeah, but-"

"No 'buts'. Do as you're told!" Jeff added; mocking a tone he hadn't used in years.

Scott crossed his arms stubbornly, only to suddenly unfold them. "Ah! Jeez!" he said, rubbing a hand gently down his burn.

Jeff hid a grin then Virgil spoke. "Think yourself lucky, Scott. You get to go back tomorrow. I've got to stay here for longer!"

* * *

They talked to Virgil for a while longer then Lewis ushered them out saying they needed rest. Virgil's head was dropping every now and then, which he tried to cover up when it snapped back up. Scott, too, was falling asleep in his chair so they said goodbye to Virgil and wheeled Scott back to his room. They woke him long enough to get him into his bed.

They went outside the hospital building. "How you holding up, Gordon?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just…"

"Worried?" Gordon nodded. "They're alright. They're in good hands." He looked around realising it was dark then looked at his watch. "Yikes. It's nearly 10pm at home."

"So?"

"So, we're five hours behind England. That means it's about 3am here!"

Gordon grinned and looked round. The streetlights gave everything an orange tinge, nearly matching his sash.

"Come on," Jeff said, putting an arm round his shoulder. "We'd better get back to base. We'll come back out tomorrow to get Scott."

Gordon nodded and they walked off. "By the way, where is _Ladybird_?"

Jeff looked at him. "Not far away. Remind me to tell Alan that when he's done his shift he has to repair the damage to my plane!"


	13. Visitors

_Welcome to this 13th and final chapter. I'm so glad people have been reading this story and even more happy people have taken the time to review!_

_I would like to also take this opportunity to thank everyone who read this, taking it to over 1000 hits! Thanks!!_

_**Ms Hobgoblin**: Well, here you are. The last chapter. I'd like to thank you for being a pretty consistent reviewer, too. Nigh on every chapter's had a review from you. Thank you!_

**

* * *

**

The Eyes of the Beholder

**By Phoenix Sparrow**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen - Visitors

Back on base, the next morning, Gordon was woken by Tin-Tin at 11am.

"Ugh, morning Tin-Tin," he said, quietly. "What brings you here?"

"I came to tell you it's 4pm in England."

Gordon sat up and looked at her. "Really? You woke me up to tell me that?"

"No, I woke you up to tell you if you want to go with your father to get Scott, I'd recommend getting up now."

"Oh, I see! Thanks."

She smiled and left him to get dressed.

"Wait a minute!" he called out. She stopped at the door and turned round. "Civilian or uniform?"

She giggled. "Uniform."

* * *

Gordon sat in the _Ladybird_ trying to get comfortable. He never did like flying much; he preferred the sea.

He leaned his head back and gazed out the window, gaining comfort at the sight of the ocean far below them.

He closed his eyes and tilted his face up towards the ceiling. 'Nope. Not gonna get any sleep in here!' He shifted again, trying with little success to get comfortable. Behind him was a suitcase of things for Virgil and a change of clothes for Scott seeing as his uniform was out of commission.

He pushed at the bags, trying to move them out of his way. "Are you alright back there, Gordon?" Jeff asked from the front of the cabin. He was piloting the plane so glanced very quickly over at him.

"Yeah, fine. Does Virgil really need a whole suitcase?"

Jeff chuckled. "Tin-Tin packed it, not me. Anyway, we don't know when he'll be back yet, do we?"

"I guess so."

Jeff sighed. "Cheer up, Gordon. Virgil's ok, they're just keeping him in to keep an eye on him. And we're just going to get Scott now."

"I know, I know."

"So, what's up?"

"Ah, I dunno. Guess I'm just worried."

"Worried?" Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow, though Gordon couldn't see that. "Or tired? Tin-Tin told me you were still snoring when she went in."

"Snoring??" he asked, alarmed. "I do not snore!"

"You obviously do, Tin-Tin doesn't make stuff up, you know," Jeff replied, chuckling.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Though he'd started laughing now himself.

* * *

They landed the plane and made their way to the hospital.

When they got there, they found Scott stood by his window, hands clasped together behind his back.

Jeff opened the door, knocking on it as he went. "Hi son, can we come in?"

"Sure," he replied, not turning round.

They walked in and sat down, Jeff on the chair and Gordon perched on the end of the bed.

"How do you feel today?"

"Well enough."

Jeff and Gordon exchanged glances. "What's wrong? You sound a bit uptight. Is it something we've done?"

He sighed and lowered his head. "No, nothing you've done. I just, uh… didn't realise I'd miss home this much."

Jeff stared at him. "What? You've been away from home before and for longer! On those occasions you've been fine! Come on, tell us the real reason."

He turned round slowly. They'd removed the bandage that had covered his head revealing the healing red cut and its companion purple bruise on his forehead. "Fine. I was…" He turned away again, unable to look at them. "I was worried. If I'd gotten to Virgil faster, maybe his injuries wouldn't have been so severe. I, I should have kept a better guard over the crafts in the first place. I… I…"

Jeff walked over and put a hand on his son's shoulder. He pulled it gently so Scott was facing him then put his other hand on the other shoulder. "Now you listen to me, Scott Tracy. You did all you could. That machine of yours doesn't go much faster!"

"I just feel like I failed. I failed you, I failed everyone, especially Virgil," he said, looking away.

"Scott? Scott, look at me." He waited until he complied. "You are not a failure." He paused then tilted his head to one side. "What's International Rescue's motto?"

"'Never to give up at any cost'," he replied quietly.

"Exactly. You can't be a failure because you didn't give up. You kept going. You put your life on the line to save your brother's. You came through for him when he needed you the most and it's not the first time you've done so either. If you'd failed Virgil, he wouldn't be here, would he? And we wouldn't have a big suitcase full of his stuff, either!"

Scott smiled. "I guess so."

"Good. Now, cheer up. Boy, if it's not one of you, it's another! We've brought you some clean clothes to change into. We're gonna go and see Virgil while you're changing but feel free to join us when you're done."

"F.A.B., father."

Jeff smiled and walked out, closely followed by Gordon.

* * *

They arrived at Virgil's room and knocked the door. They were surprised when the door was opened for them.

"'Allo, sir," Parker said, cheerfully.

"Parker! Penny! Well, this is a surprise!" Jeff said, smiling.

Virgil sat up in his bed, with some difficulty. "Hi dad," he said, grinning.

"Hey, Virgil. How are you today?"

"Now, there's a question I've got on repeat play!"

Lady Penelope laughed and rose from the bedside seat to stand beside Jeff. "Parker, I think we can have the door shut now."

Parker looked at her then the open door. "Oh. Yes, M'lady." No sooner had he closed it then was Scott knocking on it. He opened it again and Scott walked in.

"Scott!" Virgil called out when he saw his oldest brother enter.

"Hey, Virge. How you feeling?" he asked, walking over to stand next to his bed.

Virgil laughed. "You see what I mean?" he said to the others.

Scott looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"Don't worry. I feel fine, thanks for asking. What about you?"

He glanced over at Jeff and smiled then looked back. "Much better now I'm out of that stupid gown." He was now dressed in his favourite blue waistcoat and blue sweater with his black trousers. "Remind me never to do that again! I don't like wearing a dress!" The others laughed at him. "I feel sorry for you, Virge. I got rid of the thing quickly. You got a while of wearing it!"

"Actually, he doesn't. Tin-Tin packed his pyjamas and dressing gown amongst other things," Jeff said.

"Can I just ask you something, Scott?" Lady Penelope asked. Scott looked over at her. "What's wrong with wearing dresses?"

Scott grinned. "Nothing, but it's not the sort of thing your average man does. Men who wear dresses are a bit…" He broke off realising the others were staring. "I'll shut up now."

"Good idea, Scott. You were beginning to dig yourself into a hole even the Mole couldn't get you out of!" Jeff said. He grinned sheepishly while the others laughed again. "So, Penny. How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you, Jeff." She looked at him and smiled. "You want to know how I knew."

"Actually, yes."

"I got a call from Alan."

"Oh, I see."

She smiled again. "He advised me of the current situation and I felt I had to visit them. I went into Scott's room first." She smiled at Scott, who blushed and grinned back. "Then I came here."

"You didn't have to," Scott and Virgil said.

She looked at them, stunned. They were more alike than she realised.

"What?" Scott asked, exchanging a glance with Virgil. Gordon stood leaning against the unit in the corner of the room, his arms folded across his chest and chuckling away to himself, while Parker watched them from where he was stood beside the door.

"'Ow did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" they asked. Then they realised and looked at each other grinning.

"That, sirs."

"Oh, I'd say probably knowing him for all my life," Virgil said.

"Hmm. Yeah. All twenty-five years of it," Scott added.

"No, not quite. My birthday isn't for a few weeks yet."

"Good point. Oh yeah and then there's the fact that for most of those twenty-four-nearly-twenty-five years we've been living under the same roof!"

Jeff rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. "Anyway, boys, time to wrap up this staff meeting. Penny, Parker, it's been a pleasure as always, but I have to get him over there home," he said, waving a thumb in Scott's direction. "Doctor Lewis says you gotta take it easy, Scott."

Scott's shoulders dropping and his happy expression faded from his face. "Does this mean what I think it does?"

"I'm afraid so. No missions for you for a while. You're not even allowed to watch the news!"

They all laughed, save for Scott who sat down, grumbling.

Jeff took the suitcase from Gordon and put it down next to the bed. "Nice to see you're looking better, son."

"Thanks, father. You get Thunderbird 2 fixed…"

"Virgil!"

"Sorry! Thanks for the stuff. I don't suppose the piano's in there, is it?"

"You only ever have two things on your mind, Virge! Thunderbird and that piano," Scott said. Virgil grinned.

"Hmm. I know. I'll get the piano tuned properly for when you get back," Jeff said.

"Really? Thanks! It's been needing that for a while, I've noticed."

"Yeah, well, uh, it's time we were going. Come on, Scott, Gordon."

"Bye, Jeff," Penelope said.

"Bye, Penny. It was good to see you again."

* * *

They arrived back at their base and Scott went straight to his room and collapsed on his bed.

Jeff went in there to check on him and saw that he was sleeping like a log. 'He can't be right. He _never_ takes naps.' He smiled to himself, then left the room.

The island was just starting to get back to normal now that everyone knew things were going to be okay.

* * *

The following week found Virgil lying in his room at the hospital listening to a storm outside. At home, on the island, he rarely heard storms, but when they did come, they were a force to be reckoned with. Tropical storms often left them needing to repair the communications mast.

He looked round as the door opened and a short-ish girl with dark brown hair walked in. "Kari? Oh my goodness, Kari? Is that you?"

"None other," Kari said, walking in further and sitting by his bed. "I heard what had happened and felt I had to come and see you."

"Just like you said, huh?"

"Yes, I am just sorry I was unable to warn you once more."

"You warned us enough," he assured her. "But no more dwelling on that. We're all fine, or at least I will be once I get out of here. How have you been in the past year?"

"I have passed my GCSEs," she said. "A few months after I went to live with Mica, we moved back to England so I could resume my studies with an educational system I was familiar with. He had already finished his degree anyway."

"GCSEs," Virgil repeated. "Those are the tests 16 year olds in England take, aren't they?"

"Yes. I gained As in French and German, Bs in Double Science, Mathematics, English and English Literature and Cs in Drama, Electronics and Geography. I have my name down to study French, German, Geography and Psychology for A Levels in the new academic year."

"Impressive," Virgil said, his expression reflecting his comment. "You could probably be of help to our scientist eventually." The girl grinned at him. "Why 'double' science though?"

"The course I took is Physics, Biology and Chemistry mixed into one, and at the end of it, the grade I get is doubled to give me two separate grades. So while I only took four exams in which I gained a B grade, I got five B grades in total."

"Oh right, I see. I think." Virgil grinned. "The English system always confused me."

"The American system confused me, that is why I left."

"Fair enough."

They spent a little longer talking about other things that had happened to them over the past year, and Virgil was thrilled to hear that she had never seen the Hood since they had helped her.

* * *

The storm was still raging outside, though, in Virgil's opinion, it still didn't come anywhere near close enough to be compared to a storm from home. He lay on his bed, gazing out of the window and watching the rain running down it. Kari had long ago left now, saying she had to get home to meet with her friends.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open and his nurse walk in. "How are you feeling today, Virgil?" she asked him.

He started slightly and turned to face her. "I'm fine. Can't wait to get home."

"Well, it won't be long. It looks like Doctor Lewis has agreed to release you tomorrow."

Virgil's face lit up. "Great! Why not today?"

"We just want to run a last few tests just to make sure everything is back in working order. Nothing serious."

Virgil grinned. "Are my father and brother still visiting today?" he asked, remembering they'd called earlier on in the week.

"They're on their way now and should be here very soon."

"Try now," Scott's voice said from the doorway, stepping aside as the nurse left with her results. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now. Ready to go home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Scott asked.

"That's great to hear," Jeff said, walking in.

"Yeah, just hope Brains can put Thunderbird back together, he stripped her right down..."

"Scott, don't tease him!" Jeff said in a warning tone upon seeing the despairing look on Virgil's face.

* * *

They continued to talk for a long while, mostly about how Thunderbird's repairs were going, and Kari's visit, in which Virgil took great delight in telling them how well she had done, but they also took the time to admire a storm that didn't destroy anything, but merely relieved the static tension in the air.

"Well," Jeff said, many hours later, glancing at his watch. "It would appear our time is up. Come on, Scott, we've got to go."

"Alright," Scott said, getting up. As soon as his back was turned he felt a pillow hit him in the back of the head. "Hey, what was that for??"

"Teasing me about Thunderbird," Virgil said, grinning. "See you tomorrow!"

* * *

_**A/N**: That's it, story over! Hope you guys all enjoyed it!_


End file.
